Electron tube apparatus



March 1, 1932. s. RUBEN ELECTRON TUBE APPARATUS Filed April 16, 1925 avwwnboz T saw/1. RUBEN I Patented Mar. 1, 1932 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE SAMUEL RUBEN, or NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR '10 RUBEN PATENTS comm, or

NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATIOKOE nmlawm I ELECTRON TUBE APPARATUS- mama filed. April 16, 1925. Serial No. 28,581.

.This invention relates to a vacuum tube or electron tube apparatus; and it relates more The invention comprises an improvement over those described in my prior and copending patent applications filed in the United States Patent ()flice February 4, 1922, April 1 11, 1922, and December 10, 1924, hearing Serial Numbers respectively, 534,213, 551,678, and 754,957 and United States Letters Patents 1,543,672, and 1,627,411 issued to me, upon various forms of vacuum tube relays, operating by the kinetic energy of the-electron stream bombarding the anode elementof the tube, and for certaln uses, is an improvement upon the devices described therein. The object of this invention is to provide a vacuum tube relay sensitivelyresponsive to the electron stream bombardment I upon the anode element, more sturdy in design and less susceptible to tube vibration and atmospheric conditions than those of my prior inventions' It is particularly in respect to the means provided for compensating for the efiects of tube vibration and atmospheric conditions upon the movement of the anodethat this invention lies.

2 As the electronic bombardment of the bimetallic anode varies under the control of electrical impulses impressed upon the grid circuit, the temperature of the anode varies,

thereby causing a movement of the contactpoint mounted thereon. Such movement is effective in opening and closing the gap included within the vacuous space, in an external circuit. Due to the high vacuum in this tube, even with a current of high potential, in the opening and closing of the gap between the contact points there is no premature arcing or sparking.

single bimetallic expansion anode mem-,

ber, initially adjusted with respect to the gap between the two contact points in the external circuit may require frequent adjustment to insure uniform anode movement, if the temperature changes of the surrounding atmosphere are sufficient to affect the position of the anode at the end towhich the contact point is attached. I overcome'this objection in a manner hereinafter described.

By the terms of my invention, two thermosensitive bimetallic expansionelements, differentially' connected, are mounted so'that there is no movement of the contact point unless 'one of the elements or members is independently heated or cooled; The element to be so afiected acts as the anode to be bombarded by the electron stream from the cathode emission. These anode members are constructed of two suitable metals or alloys havalloy of nickel and steel. 'As these members are differentially connected, external temperature conditions, affecting each alike, the effect upon each is neutralized by that on the other, and there is no movement of the contact point. i

In the apparatus of my invention the members are so arranged that the electron stream bombardment is'upon one arm or member only, its action or movement being governed accordingly under the control of the received electrical impulses impressed upon the grid or control circuit. Therefore, unless so bombarded, the contact points are separated b a constant gap, irrespective of tube vibratlon and atmospheric temperature changes. As the bimetallic members are mounted, each with one end fixed and with the other ends differentially or oppositely connected, any

normal vibration of theapparatus and any normal atmospheric temperature variations tirely free to move at one end under the influence of the electron stream bombardment. The principles of the invention can best be further explainedin connection witha cerill tain illustrative embodiment thereof, shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the vacuum tube and its various elements; Fig. 2 is a similar view oi the grid and anode elements; and Fig. 3 represents a radio receiving circuit, also a bell ringing circuit, in which the vacuum tube is connected. Referring to Fig. 1, V is an evacuated container of glass or other suitable material, ex-

- hausted to a degree at which substantially a pure electron discharge is obtained. At 1 is an electron emission filament, supported by conducting rod 1 and at 2 is a grid or modulating elementsupported by conducting rods 2,. At 3 is an anode or plate element, and 3 a difierentially related element, both 3 and?) being! composed of a bimetallic expansion couple combination, rigidly mounted at the lower ends-by ferrule 5 on glass rod 6, the bimetallic couple combination being composed of brass and an alloy of steel and nickel. Mounted on the upper end of member 5 is contact point 3,,, opposite to and arranged to contact with contact point 4 of the external bell ringing circuit, the leads of which, L and L enter the tube through the glass seal.

The stationary contact point 4, is mounted on nickel ferrule 4 attached to glass rod 6. Also extending through the glass seal of the tube are cathode leads L and L grid lead L and anode lead L which latter also constitutes a portion of the external circuit.

Fig. 2 shows .the detail of the grid arrangement and the adjacent arm 3 of the anode element.

Referring to Fig. 3, which illustrates a radio receiving circuit and an external bell ringing circuit, at C is a variable condenser for selectively tuning the circuit to the desired incoming electrical impulses impressed upon the grid circuit. At B is a battery for negatively charging the grid, B being the source of energy for heating the cathode to emission temperature, regulated by resistance R, the potential for the cathode-anode circuit being supplied by battery B At T is a telephone receiver, across which is connected by-pass condenser C G represents a bell in the external circuit, the energy for which is supplied by source B. The impedance of the movable anode circuit is low enough to allow the inclusion of a telephone receiver and the reproduction of signals of audio frequencies.

In operation, the bombardment of elec-,

trons from the filament to the anode produces a temperature rise Which upsets the dilierential balance between 3 and 3 and thereby closes the contact gap. By the use of suitable negative bias potential upon the grid, the emission is sufliciently decreased to allow the separation of the contacts, due to the reduction of the bombardment, and upon the reception of the incoming electricalimpulses applied to the grid circuit, the efieet of the negative bias grid potential is neutralized and there is suflicient increment of the electron emission to again close the contacts. V

What I claim is:

1. An electrical discharge relay tube having an incandescible cathode, a control elec- 'bardment from the cathode.

2. An electron discharge relay tube comprising an envelope, a cathode, a control electrode andan anode comprising a bimetallic expansion couple, contacts and a support, one of said contacts being mounted upon the anode and the other of .said contacts being mounted upon the support, one of said contacts being moveable in response to the electronic bombardment of the anode.

3. An electrical discharge relay tube containing within its vacuous space a cathode, a control electrode, contacts, an anode comprising a bimetallic expansion couple supporting one of said contacts and another bimetallic couple positioned to maintain a gap between said contacts, independent of temperature changes of the anode, other than those due to the electronic bombardment of the anode.

In testimony whereof, SAMUEL RUBEN has signed his name to this specification this 14th day of April 1925.

- S AMUEL RUBEN. 

